Don't Blame Me
by blissins
Summary: Seth Rollins and Alexa Bliss had a complicated relationship, if you could even call it that. Alexa didn't understand why the man refused to put an official label on them, growing her tired as the time went by. Dean Ambrose's sudden return didn't make things any less confusing. Between a man who can't settle down and another who would, you can't blame Bliss for being torn.
1. Chapter 1

Alexa Bliss sat alone in catering, enjoying a red velvet cupcake as part of one of her cheat days from her usual diet. Kicking off RAW and finishing her program before the end of the first hour had its perks, such as packing up early and being able to enjoy some snacks. She would've been out of the arena by now since her work was done, but Sasha's match had been booked second to last, making Alexa have to wait for her road buddy to pack up. Normally she'd have some company in the form of Seth Rollins: but he'd been held up all night that Alexa hadn't even caught a glimpse of the man.

"Someone's lonely. What a strange sight." Alexa laughed as she took a crumb from the cupcake before her, shaking her head playfully as Ember Moon appeared and took a seat in front of her. Sliding her the rest of the red velvet her way, Ember debated whether to take it or not, ultimately shrugging and taking it. "You without a certain Samoan besides you is a strange sight also. He still selling that pepper spray injury or something?"

"He filmed some online segment for it like 20 minutes ago, he's probably packing up his stuff and making sure everyone in the locker room is good. That's what I get for dating the locker room leader, we're always the last ones to leave." Ember tried to add some sort of annoyance in her voice to sell her words but she couldn't. Dating Roman Reigns had been one of the best decisions in her life and she liked everything that came with him, the good and the complicated. Across from her, Alexa smiled at the sight of Ember trying not to gush over her boyfriend. Alexa had been able to witness the start of that relationship, rooting for them since Ember bumped into Roman while they were on their way to their locker room. It didn't take long for them to go public with their relationship, Roman and Ember arriving together hand in hand everywhere they went. Nobody questioned it, they just sent the couple nods and smiles.

If only that had been the case for her, Alexa thought.

"Or maybe he ran into Seth, heard he just got here." Ember noticed Alexa was deep in thought, not having to think twice on what had invaded the blonde's focus. Feeling a bit of guilt rushing through her at mentioning his name, it was soon replaced with frustration. Ember avoided the topic of Seth Rollins and Alexa Bliss with Roman, not very keen of the idea of inserting themselves into someone else's business, even if they were two of their best friends. Maybe that's why. Or perhaps because the entire situation ticked her off.

The only ones who even knew Bliss and Rollins had some casual thing going on was their inner circle: Roman, Ember, Sasha, Pete, Aleister, and Nikki. At first, they all understood the need for secrecy. The overexposure was what ruined Alexa and Seth the first time they tried to push their relationship forward three years ago. That and also the fact Rollins couldn't settle down. But they were both different people now, both have matured so much. You'd think they'd be ready to go public or at least give hints about their casual dating but nothing yet. Ember and Sasha soon realized it wasn't a mutual agreement, noticing the rising annoyance in Alexa whenever the topic was referenced. It was hard for them to confront either of the two, not wanting to cause a rift between them or their individual friendships. But seeing Alexa this way as the days went by was becoming too much of a usual thing for Ember's liking, making her want to do something about it. At least talk about it.

"Huh, he didn't text me back when I asked him to." Alexa concluded maybe it was because of his segment, wanting to dedicate his focus on that. For the most part, she was right. She knew she was. Seth usually never purposely ignored her, despite anything he'd never mistreated her ever since they started things up again. Alexa just longed for the right of being able to at least ask for where he was without raising suspicions but that was too much to ask for apparently. He wasn't her boyfriend, she couldn't patrol what he was able to do.

Ember sighed, crumbling up the cupcake wrapper in her right hand. "Lex, you know I love you both and want nothing more than you two to figure shit out and walk hand in hand like some cliche power couple. But man, I can't stand seeing you like this over some guy that can't seem to commit even though he's shown so many signs of changing. It doesn't make sense and it also doesn't make you happy. You deserve someone who would yell out to the world that you're theirs, I know that Seth knows there's a whole ass line of people waiting to be able to do that."

Alexa lifted her gaze from her hands to look up at Ember, who held a look of impatience. Trying to figure out how to respond to her friend, who spoke nothing less of what she had already been thinking about, the conversation came to halt as Seth's theme music was heard through the television in catering. As if it was on cue, the door swung open to reveal Roman Reigns, who rushed to the table where the two girls sat.

"Oh man, you guys have gotta watch this." Leaning down to place a kiss on Ember's cheek, Roman took the seat next to the girls. Alexa was taken back by his outburst of excitement, giving Ember a confused look, receiving a shrug in response.

Seth wasted no time to do what everyone in the audience were begging him to reveal. Alexa barely had any time to process what was coming next after Seth confidently muttered out the nickname, _Lunatic Fringe_ , feeling her eyes widen at the sight of the returning man of the hour.

"Holy shit." The blonde didn't mean for those words to be heard out loud, immediately feeling her face warm up when Roman and Ember turned to her.

"Holy shit is right. It looks like new Dean ate old Dean. Did you give him your workout or something?" Roman laughed at Ember's words, turning to the television once again to watch the brawl enfold. "Nah honey, that's all his own routine. He kept telling me about it vaguely, but I didn't expect this dude to show up like this. I'm proud, I'm gonna take credit and say this is my influence."

Alexa's eyes followed Dean Ambrose, blinking hard to try to make sure her eyes weren't just messing with her. He looked completely different from the last time she saw him. It made her heartbeat fasten. Not that she didn't like the look, she did. _A lot_. Enough to make her mind recall back to the events of just a little before he suffered his injury, feeling a smile tug at the edges of her lips as memories of their conversations came to her. But once Seth's figure came into the camera shot on the television, Alexa snapped out of her stance and stood up from her chair.

"Yo, Bliss? You good?"

"Uh, yeah. I just gotta go, you know, look for Sasha. I'm trying to avoid traffic back to the hotel." Gathering up her belongings, Alexa tried to avoid eye contact with the couple and television before her. She knew she was acting like a complete fool, earning her some _wtf_ looks from other co workers present in the catering room, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was find her best friend and pressure her into telling what the hell to do or how to react to what was going inside her mind.

"Alright then. Tell her to call me by the way, we gotta book our flights to Brooklyn!" With a small nod and wave, Alexa exited through the door without saying another word, leaving Roman and Ember with nothing but confusion.

* * *

Alexa had found Sasha within five minutes after she left catering, packed and ready to leave the arena, which they would've done had Alexa ordered their rental car in time. So now she stood inside besides the door that led them to the parking lot alone, Sasha going back to catering to try to grab a bite of food and facetime her boyfriend, Pete Dunne, before their car arrived.

Throwing her head back, the blonde let out a deep sigh. She so wasn't planning on Dean's return— if that was _Dean_ , being tonight. She wasn't planning on whatever the hell was going on in her mind. She frowned, trying to come to a conclusion. It was totally normal to be attracted to another man while being in an unlabeled relationship, right? It was human nature. It wasn't cheating, there was nobody to be cheating on. Plus, it's not like it just came out of nowhere. Alexa always found the man attractive, she knew it was a mutual feeling, or at least it once was. She'd never know where their fling would've led to, his injury taking him out of her life for about nine months now. Alexa hadn't bothered to think about it, she hated thinking about _what ifs_. But now he was back and she wasn't sure if she could manage seeing him, at least not tonight.

"Hey you." From the corner of her eye, Alexa watched as Seth Rollins approached her. He wore a huge, but apologetic smile that made her want to force one onto her lips as well. He was clearly still dwelling in the bliss of the amazing closing segment, but still harbored some guilt over keeping Alexa in the dark. He knew he should've at least just replied.

"Hey you back." Seth would've stolen a kiss from the blonde to greet her but with the amount of their co workers going back and forth as they prepared to leave made it all too risky. Instead, he settled with quickly brushing his fingertips down her face, smiling a bit when Alexa closed her eyes to take in his touch. "I'm sorry I was MIA all day."

Shaking her head slightly to dismiss his apology. "Don't worry about it, it's not like you have any duty to keep me updated. You were jet lagged and probably given the script and the news about Ambrose returning last minute. I wouldn't be able to fit in a reply in there either." Alexa was expecting for her to be the one whose expression changed at the mention of the man of the hour, but she didn't, which she was quite impressed by herself. Seth was a different story, his cheeky smile reducing to a weak one at hearing Alexa's words. She frowned, not understanding where the sudden change of mood was coming from. Half of her wanted to press more on the issue, while the other was pushing her to change the subject. The latter it is.

"Buuuuuuuut… I was gonna ask you if didn't wanna grab something to eat after we got to our hotel?" Alexa knew it was probably a long shot but she needed some time alone with Seth. Not only because she missed him but she really needed him to get her mind off things and remind her of what matters. Her beautiful smile was almost enough to make Seth forget about the plans he already had, but the sound of Kevin Owens and Finn Balor approached the duo snapped him out of his daze. Straightening his posture, Seth tried to ignore the loud sigh Alexa let out beside him as she quickly covered it up with a smile.

"Hey man! You ready to head out to Waffle House? Finn here keeps bitching' about how hungry he is." Kevin and Finn hadn't seen Alexa, Seth's tall figure blocking her until he turned around to face them. "Oh shit, sup Lex! I don't assume you wanna join us also? We don't mind, it's kinda a packed car but you take up like, no space."

Tugging on the strings of her hoodie, Alexa politely shook her head. "Appreciate the offer, guys. I'm good. Seems more like a boys night, wouldn't wanna intrude. Maybe I'll convince Sasha to order something and stay up for a movie marathon or something. But I'll keep this offer in my mind the next time!" The men returned the same warm, polite smile her way, walking through the arena's door after they urged Seth to hurry up. Once they were out of sight again, Seth let his guard down and turned to look into the smaller woman's eyes. "You know what? Let me ditch the guys, I owe you one tonight. I'll make up some excuse-"

"No, no, no. It's okay, go with them. I'm no one to start cutting into your time with your friends, anyways. Plus, Sasha and I are already waiting on our rental car to get here. Maybe we can squeeze something in once we arrive at Brooklyn?" Her words sparked an idea in Seth's mind. "Have you booked your flight yet for Brooklyn? Please tell me you haven't and if you have I'm gonna have to bribe Sasha into switching."

Alexa let out a small laugh as she responded to his question with a simple 'no', making him clap his hands together in excitement. "Hell yeah. Alright, I'll book a flight and our rooms. Squeeze in a lunch or dinner in there. Got it?"

"I don't think you're really asking me, it's more like you're telling me. So, you got it, Rollins. Don't back out on me last minute though. Now, go! Kev and Finn are gonna have your head if you keep them waiting." Motioning for him to get going, Seth picked up his bags from the floor. Alexa noticed him take a look at their surroundings and once he realized the coast was clear, leaned down to steal a kiss from her. This had only recently became a casual thing between them, a stolen kiss from here and there while they were at work. Alexa couldn't deny that at first the secrecy fueled just how much more fantastic the kiss was, but now she also couldn't deny she wanted to be able to do this whenever and wherever they were.

We can't all have what we want, she guessed.

As they broke away, Seth softly told her that he would text her later, going through the exit seconds later. Leaning towards the wall behind her, Alexa tried to distract herself with her phone, trying not to think about how weird the kiss had felt. The usual butterflies were still there, but not as strong as before. No, not tonight, she is so not frying her brain with this situation. All the five foot woman wanted to do was for her rental car and Sasha to show up.

"I would've guessed for someone who opened the show, they would have been long gone by now." Alexa didn't have to look up from her phone to know who that voice belonged to, feeling her heartbeat speed up, making her want to curse. Locking her phone and sliding it into her pocket, Alexa kept her back to the wall, crossing her hands across her chest in attempts to look chill as Dean Ambrose came closer to where she stood. As he did just that, Alexa began to remember just how taller he was than her. Sure, basically everyone was, but Dean completely towered over her. If before his injury he did, with the extra muscle he's packed on, doubled the difference now. She tried her best to not make it obvious how her eyes lingered, noticing how his tight fitted black shirt complimented his new look. Alexa was so distracted with her own actions that she didn't notice Ambrose mimicking them. He fought the smile threatening to form in his lips, taking in how beautiful she looked even just casually. Her hair was straightened, he always liked it that way.

"Unless you stuck around to see the closing segment. Not gonna lie Bliss, I'd feel pretty special." Dean had changed a lot in the past nine months but one thing that certainly remained, or even heightened, was his charm. It was almost enough to make Alexa not overthink his words, almost. She quickly realized they could have a double meaning: had Seth told Dean about them? Did Dean ever tell him about their short lived "could have been"? Alexa pushed the questions aside, it wasn't like she was gonna blurt them out and ask him anyways. Instead, she responded to his witty charm with an eye roll and an innocent smirk. "If that's what helps you sleep at night, then sure."

Dean bit his lip, trying to hold back a laugh, but ultimately failed. Toning down his signature charm a notch, he gave the woman before him a sincere gaze. "Hey, I'm sorry for going MIA these past months. I didn't really know to handle all the… sympathetic messages I was getting. I've never been all that good with all that shit in general. First time getting injured and sidelined for months also, you weren't the only one I went ghost on. Buuuuuuut, you're the only one who's getting an apology from me for it. We were in the middle of that whole-"

"Don't worry about it, seriously. All that matters is that you're back in that ring and looking healthier than ever." Alexa was a bit afraid that he wouldn't take lightly being interrupted as he expressed some remorse, something he wasn't known for. The fear soon diminished, Dean nodding sincerely in response of her words. Alexa was taken back, deciding to further on the conversation to terrority she perhaps shouldn't touch. But her curiosity was getting the best of her. "And yeah, we were in the middle of… I guess the talking stage? But eh, maybe it was just some rebound for you. Which is okay, no hard feelings."

 _Rebound_. That was a word Dean heard a lot right before he was sidelined, he expected it though. Coming out of a two year relationship with Renee Young, that ended before either of them just ended up hating one another, Dean was weary about starting anything serious with anyone for a while also. He wouldn't be able to deny that when he first made a move on Alexa Bliss the only intention he had was to have some fun. It helped that he had always been insanely attracted to her, never doing anything about it before because he wasn't single and one of his best friend's had tried something with her as well. Dean knew Alexa had the latter repercussion at first, had it not been for them both being a bit tipsy at the bar they ran into one another during a get together maybe they wouldn't have ever engaged in anything flirtatious.

"You know, I thought the same thing at first. Hell, Roman and Seth kept telling me maybe it was all just some rebound," The mention of Seth made Alexa furrow her eyebrows together, surprised that Dean had told either one of them about whatever they could call their brief fling. What shocked her more was that Seth had never mentioned having knowledge of that, making her feel a bit more suspicious now that she knew Seth had pushed the rebound idea so hard on Dean. "Should've never told Seth, but I was just trying to ease my own conscience, make sure he didn't mind despite the stint between you guys. He'd do the same." _But he hasn't._

"So, I guess you came to the conclusion that it was?" Alexa didn't know why she was asking that, why did she care? Curiosity killed the cat, her mother always urged her. She guessed she'd be disappointed. Alexa snapped out of her deep thought, feeling Dean's eyes over her. "You know, I had. But now that I'm right here, standing in front of ya, been single for a fair amount of time… I'm not so sure anymore." Dean knew she wasn't gonna answer him, she couldn't. He always found it amusing how different she was to her onscreen persona, you'd never think Alexa Bliss would turn into a flustering mess under some tension. Following his gut, Dean began to close the gap between them, taking notice at how Alexa's breathing became louder and louder. He wasn't gonna do anything, and he should probably make that obvious so she could calm her nerves, but he hadn't been this close to her in months. He quite frankly thought he deserved to savor this proximity a bit more longer. Their height difference only became more visible when Dean placed his muscular arm above her head on the wall, Alexa not having it in her to even look up at him cause they would just bring their closeness to its peak. She hadn't felt her stomach doing flips like this since Seth Rollins himself did this to her for the first time.

"Lex!" The voice that echoed through the halls was the needle that burst the bubble that Dean Ambrose and Alexa Bliss had been in, making Alexa begin to regain her composure and Dean slowly remove his hand from the wall. "Our car is here! Come on, let's the hell out of- Oh, shit. Sup, Ambrose! Congrats on the return." Sasha Banks approached them, hiding whatever true reaction she had to seeing the two conversing and instead fist bumped the man in front of her. Alexa tried to avoid any eye contact with either of two, moving her suitcase in a way to give Sasha a hint.

"Thanks, Banks. We gotta catch up, maybe you and I can convince Roman to go out for some drinks. Man is so whipped, happy for him though." Watching him pick up his own bags he had placed on the floor before he started talking to Alexa moments ago, Alexa immediately moved her eyes away from him and kept them fixated on her best friend. No way she was gonna give him that satisfaction of catching her. "I miss him and third wheeling isn't the best since my man ain't here most of the time either, but anything for that big Samoan bear to be happy."

"Damn right. Well, I gotta go and probably catch up with some of the boys at some waffle house. See you girls in Brooklyn." Giving them both a small wave, Dean made his way out of the building, Alexa not knowing whether he paid her one last glance. Hearing the door shut behind him, Alexa let out the loudest sigh of relief, earning her a look from Sasha. It took the purple haired woman about ten seconds to put it together, grinning like an idiot once she did.

"Alexa fucking Bliss, I'm shook."

"Don't, please, shush. My brain cells can't take anymore tonight. Can we please leave and get a pint of damn ice cream now?"

* * *

 **Helloooo I is back. I've actually had so many unfinished stories started but y'all know how the writers block goes. But let's see where this goes! So it's obviously a Dean/Alexa/Seth main storyline, and some side couples so far are Sasha/Pete and Ember/Roman. Updates for this may be a bit slow, just going with the flow.**

 **Feedback would be so appreciated *insert heart emoji here***


	2. Chapter 2

Alexa Bliss wanted to question Seth Rollins. She wanted to know why he hadn't been honest to Dean Ambrose the way that he had been months before. Why he never made it known to her that he knew of their fling. Alexa thought perhaps it was out of respect, not wanting to make her think he was judging her for her past love life decisions. She thought of every possible answer because she feared the alternative the most: Seth was hellbent on keeping them a secret. But as she sat side by side next to him while they waited for their flight to Brooklyn, feeling his hand on hers, Alexa couldn't find it in herself to bring up that topic.

"Are you suuuuure you don't want another coffee?" Alexa rolled her eyes at Seth's playful tone of voice, clearly picking fun at her obsession with Starbucks. It had became a tradition between them for Seth to always bring her a coffee before a RAW or a PPV, which he had failed to do so for the first time this past Monday. So he was determined to make it up to her. "I'm sure. I'm trying to sleep on the plane, you know how aggy plane rides get me."

"So that means you won't be sleepy when we get to the hotel?" Seth was acting strangely out of character, his tone wasn't letting Alexa figure out whether he was being serious or joking. The duo hadn't spoken about sex since they first started talking again, Seth fighting first to regain her trust after single handedly destroying it. This topic in particular was one Alexa didn't know how to address with Seth, it wasn't because she was like some giddy teenager when it came to it. She had no problem with no strings attached, but it was a different thing when feelings were involved. Alexa's memory flashed back to 2015, when right after she finally had caved in and had sex with Seth, she finds out about his cheating. Seth used to fight until the death that it wasn't truly considering cheating since they hadn't slapped the official on the relationship yet, but with the years he accepted his wrongs. The fact she gave him a second chance three years later still surprises the blonde and their friends.

Alexa's silence kind of freaked Seth out, realizing maybe they still weren't there yet. So he followed his words with a laugh. "Lex, I'm just joking. I'm sorry if it freaked you out with a sex reference."

"I'm not some prude either, Rollins."

"Oh, I know that. From what I can still remember-" Seth's side with met with Alexa's elbow, making him wince. "Where are you growing these _pantalones_ from suddenly? Before you ask, Nikki taught me some spanish."

"Now that you mention Nicole, you're rooming with her this weekend. All thanks to yours truly!" This news brought some happiness to Alexa, not remembering when was the last time she spent quality time with her favorite twin. She was afraid she'd be in a hotel room alone since Pete was flying in and was most likely spending every moment with Sasha. "Now you truly earned some points, Rollins. I was scared shitless I was gonna third wheel Sasha and Pete."

Seth chuckled, warming up as he felt Alexa's head softly rest on his shoulder. "How are they by the way? I haven't seen Dunne around in a good while." The blonde struggled to answer this, not knowing how much Sasha would want out in the open about the rough patch they've been going through. But hey, Seth was good at keeping secrets, wasn't he? He was still managing at keeping them one.

"Well, you basically just said the main problem. Pete has been taking bookings non stop, Sasha is lucky if she even sees him more than twice a month. The announcement of NXT UK got her hopeful but it keeps looking like it'll be run in the UK anyways, making Pete visiting even less possible. I just, feel so bad for her. But you know Sasha, she won't let a soul see her sad over a relationship again." A soul that wasn't Alexa or Ember, that is. Sasha was human after all, she needed to vent to someone. It wasn't frequently, but was done when needed to. "I just want her to be happy."

Seth found himself listening to Alexa's words while he played with the strings of her hoodie. "We all do, one person more in particular." Seth knew he didn't have to clearly state who he spoke about, Alexa knowing very well who was referring to. "Let's not. I honestly can't believe Finn hasn't gotten over Sasha. I mean, their relationship was the best until he got injured and pushed every single person away. Luckily he's been respectful of her and Pete, except that one night we all went out."

"Oh man, thank god Pete wasn't there. We also prohibited Finn from crossing liquor again after that. But hey, that was the night Roman and Ember made it official! Andddddd you gave me a second chance. So it wasn't all that bad!" Alexa playfully rolled her eyes at Seth's change of direction, remembering the events clearly. "It's nice, ya know? Roman and Ember have each other, you and I got us. And Dean—"

Alexa stiffened at the mention of Dean Ambrose, seemingly snapping out of whatever trance she had let herself be in with the man beside her. This was the first time they'd spoken about him since his return. "Yeah… what about Dean? He never patched things up with Renee again?" The blonde tried her best to keep her tone as uninterested as possible, realizing Seth had taken notice of how she stiffened.

"Nah, that ship sunk the moment they called it quits. So with Dean it's all out in the open. Finn and I joked around with him that we'd try to hook him up with one of the newer Mae Young Classic girls. Of course, Ambrose declined the offer but we may still pull some strings." Alexa pursed her lips together as she took in all this information. Dean hadn't lied to her, he truly wasn't looking for a rebound anymore, which only confused the girl even more. Alexa wanted to question Seth more, why he hadn't told someone he considered to be a brother, about his unofficial relationship with her? Was he testing Dean? Was he testing _her_? Or was it all just a dead end.

"Plus, he mentioned he already has his eyes set on someone. Asshole wouldn't say who though." Alexa literally thanked the heavens she still had her head on Seth's shoulders, facing forward, so he couldn't see her shocked facial expression. _Nah, no._ It couldn't be her despite his weird behavior around her on Monday. _No_ , Alexa refused to believe this much less entertain the idea. "Who do you think it could be? Any of the newer girls? Liv Morgan? Mandy Rose? Dude got some weird kink with blondes."

Alexa licked the dryness off her lips, digging her head more into Seth's shoulders to try to hide her thinkative face. _He sure as hell does_. It dawns on her that Seth's options may actually have some validity behind them. It was just unrealistic to her for Dean Ambrose to wait around for 8 months and return just to continue to be interested in her. She was clearly initially just a rebound to him, which she doesn't have any hard feelings for. They both just wanted to have some fun back then, never getting around to it completely. That probably explains the tension between them and why Alexa can't seem to control her heartbeat around the man.

Alexa decided to play dumb next, in attempts to finally get answers from Seth. "Does he? I mean, I know Renee is blonde, but what other blonde do you know of that he, um, talked to?" She placed the trap and now it was up to Seth to be honest or not. Lifting her head up from his shoulder, Alexa gave Seth a calm facial expression, who seemed unbothered. _Man, he was good_.

"I— no. But he's my bestfriend, he tells me stuff like that, Lex. Do you know of someone?" Alexa stopped herself from rolling her eyes, of course he'd try to switch this up on her. She contemplated her options quickly, wanting to just come clean but was also bothered that she always had to be the one taking the fall. Why couldn't he just be blunt for once? Taking a deep breath in, she simply shrugged at this question. "I don't know, he used to be kinda flirtatious around me. Could've meant anything though."

Before Seth could respond to her answer, the speaker announced that their flight would be boarding soon and to make their way to the gate. Seth didn't know whether or not to be mad that Alexa hadn't been honest: he knew the two had something going on before his injury. But the way that he knew that was what prevented him from being mad. He hadn't been honest with Dean, he hadn't been honest with the entire locker room except their inner group.

Alexa grew a bit anxious at Seth's silence, fearing he had grown angry at her vague answer but pushed it aside when she remembered his lack of honesty as well. "That doesn't bother you, right?"

"Huh? No, of course not. _Not one bit_."

* * *

Roman, Ember, Dean, and Finn arrived in Brooklyn early Friday morning. Dean and Finn had coincidentally booked the same flight as Roman and Ember, all of them pitching in for a rental car in which they all rode in at the moment. Three out of the four wrestlers were trying their best to stay awake, each taking a drink out of a Monster. Meanwhile, Ambrose had missed the feeling of being on the road that it was enough to keep him energized.

"So Ambrose, have ya' caught up with everyone yet?" Finn sat besides Dean in the backseat, Roman driving and Ember in the passenger seat. Dean simply shrugged, "I mean, you guys are really the one people I give a shit about catching up with. That reminds me, Ro, I told Sasha we gotta go out for drinks soon. Oh shit, Brie and Nikki are coming up here also right? We gotta plan something." Ember chuckled at Dean's enthusiasm, happy that the two have broken the ice so quickly. She wanted to be on good terms with all the people Roman cared about and so far she was succeeding. "Let's do it after Takeover? Only if you guys are willing to go hungover to Summerslam. I say it's better than showing up that way at Axxess."

"Takeover it is, then. Although I'm sure Dean here doesn't mind whichever date, wouldn't the first time my dude shows up hungover someplace." Everyone burst into laughter as Dean leaned towards the driver's seat and decked Roman, who cursed loudly, followed by a laugh and promised to get him back for that. "I didn't lie man! Anyways, so it's gonna be all of us, Nikki and Brie, gotta invite Aleister cause it's the only time we're all at the same place and he'll probably bring Vega, Sasha… which would most likely include Dunne."

Finn tried his absolute best to act like all he didn't notice all eyes land on him, but failed. Rolling his eyes, he gave them a reassuring look. "C'mon, I ain't gonna go on sum' drunken crusade. I've seen em' together before, not a problem for me." Roman and Ember shared a look, both telling each other to just take Finn's word for it and hope for the best. "Who else we missing? Shit, Rollins and Alexa, of course. They're already here since last night though right?"

Both Finn and Dean grew confused, looking at each other to confirm that they were wondering the same thing. "What? Rollins didn't fly with us cause he has some media to do that got in the way. We're legit rooming with him."

"Dunno, man. Probably had it early today?" Roman had legit been caught off guard, only thinking he'd have to put some front for Balor. He'd never bothered to ask Seth if he had told Dean about him and Alexa, he just thought it was a given. Ambrose did the same with him before, they were bestfriends. He's gonna have to have a talk with them both soon enough, especially Seth. The Samoan grew annoyed at Seth's urge of keeping him and Alexa private, he understood at first, but now he just didn't get why. Roman gave Ember a "help me" look, in which she quickly understood. "Most likely. Alexa is rooming with Nikki, she probably wanted her here earlier to go on some shopping spree or something. Y'all know how our favorite twin is."

The men in the backseat weren't entirely convinced but just shrugged, not wanting to pursue the topic even more. "Alright then, I'll set up tha' groupchat lads, letting em' know the plan."

Moments later, the four wrestlers arrived at their hotel from the weekend. Finn and Ember went ahead, offering to check in since they were both rooming with the respective Shield members. Roman took advantage of his moment alone with Dean, determined to resolve his confusion. Walking towards the trunk of the rental car, Roman couldn't help but laugh at Dean's priceless reaction to how much luggage Ember had brought with her."

"Dude, holy shit. How much shit does one have to fit into five suitcases? We're here for 5 days, that's easily like at least two suitcases." Both men started to load the luggage onto the cart one of the hotel workers had brought them, Dean playfully acting exhausted after each one they dropped into it. "I never know if you're just messing around or you're still this clueless. Those women are troopers, they don't play around with big pay per view weekends. Didn't Renee-" Roman paused once he noticed Dean cringe, dropping his own suitcases down a bit harsher than the others.

"Wow, sorry dude. Thought you said the mention of her didn't bother you?"

"It didn't. It's just ever since I got back people keep asking about her and I, like, it's been almost a year. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to put together it ain't happening again. The guys kept nagging about it at Waffle House, especially Seth. Dude is like hellbent on playing matchmaker for me. First with Renee then offered with some new girl from the Mae Young Classic. He acts like he's dating someone." Dean's last words resonated with Roman the most, mentally picturing himself slapping Seth for keeping Alexa a secret from their best friend, out of all the people. But also for the fact it just kept looking like Seth's own insecurity was beginning to act up. Was he really afraid of Dean's return and what it could mean for himself and Alexa? All Roman knew was that it was a short fling that never really went anywhere, Seth couldn't be that jealous. Nothing could come between their brotherhood, Roman always made sure of that.

"Plus, I already got my eye on someone. No need for that matchmaking shit for me." Okay, now Roman was irritated. Do his best friends tell him anything anymore? "You've been back for three days, who the hell could've caught your eye that quick?"

"Who said it was someone from the past three days? Let's just say, it's some business I left unfinished." Roman would be lying if he said he didn't want to facepalm so hard at Dean's words, literally not believing his luck. He knew he could just break the secret right there and then and maybe he should've, but it wasn't Roman's place to do so. He'd always been there to clean up after Seth's messes and this just wasn't one he was willing to do for him. Besides, nothing was gonna come out this. He was gonna make Seth be truthful to Dean and then they'll all just enjoy their weekend in Brooklyn. It's gonna be a peaceful, good one, Roman thought.

"Ay, Deano! Got the keys, lad. Seth's picked his up last night. Em and Ro ain't in the same floor as us but I think we're right across from Lex and Nikki's room."

Roman truly spoke too soon.

* * *

 **AUTHORS NOTE: ahhhh so here is the second update! I kinda got more excited to keep writing this so let's see how it goes. Already seeing shades of how complicated Seth/Alexa/Dean is gonna be and all I can say is that it ain't gonna get any less of that. I also introduced a little bit of a side plot between Sasha/Pete/Finn cause of course I love angst.**

 **Thank you so much for the favs, follows, and reviews. They truly mean the world to me and motivate me so much. More feedback is welcomed with open arms and so much love!**


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